CHAPTER 13 – THE DEAL
A WEEK has passed and everything went back to the way it was before something happened between them. Their employer-employee relationship came back. She is now his ever efficient secretary again who follows his every command.
And he is no longer the sweet and caring bipolar Mateo but a cold and strict bipolar boss.
However, for the past week, she acted like nothing bad happened between them. She would still smile whenever he orders her. And also, she's been annoying him with her determination to prove to him that she is the father of her baby.
She would leave sticky notes to his table saying 'Good luck with work, daddy... (with a smiley)...or 'Have a nice day, daddy.' That seem to have annoyed him and he would always crumple in his hand and throws in a trash bin afterwards.
In which will set her in the brink of tears every time she sees it.
Nevertheless, it didn't crumble her determination.
"MS. GUTIEREZ, what's my schedule for the rest of the afternoon?" Mateo asks her all of a sudden while sipping the coffee she just gave him as he crumples another sticky note she attached to the coffee.
She watched how he tosses it somewhere. Tears threatened to escape from her eyes but she still smiled and tried not to break her voice as she reads his schedule.
"You have a meeting with Mr. Ricci at three regarding the partnership you're going to establish." She flipped some pages in her clip board to check for another appointment. "And you have a meeting with the board at four. That's all there is...sir."
"Alright..." He said closing his laptop before standing up and grabbing his coat from his swivel chair. "You can go back to your table now..."
She nodded her head.
"And by the way..."
"Yes?"
"Stop sending those stupid gifts and notes Ms. Gutierez... nothing's going to convince me... It's been annoying me." He said.
She bit her inner cheek. It's true that other than the sticky notes, she also sends him some baby things she buys to convince him about their baby like a pair of baby shoes she sent the other day, a baby shirt the other, other day and a pair of cute baby gloves. She would put it on his table every morning.
However, he would always take it and throws it aside. And at the end of the day, she would take them back.
"No..." She firmly said..."I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna stop convincing you...And I'm so sorry if it's annoying the hell out of you... Sir, but all I want is for you to recognize my baby as your child... just allow him to call you daddy, that's all..."
"And what would you get from all of this? Money? Marriage?"
Her eyes widen in disbelief... "None from those...sir... Just a simple father for my baby..." She whispered.
"And what if I am not the father of that baby?" She really badly wants to cry... Just how hard it is to prove it to him?
But if that will put him in relief...then... "Then I'll resign as your secretary and disappear from your life...forever." She strongly said.
She looked at his eyes and she thought she saw a glimpse of regret in those eyes...But she's probably imagining things again...
Too much assumption hurt a lot of people, and she doesn't want that.
"After I give birth, we could conduct a DNA test for you and the baby. If it's positive, you'll just need him to acknowledge as your son or daughter..." She took a deep breath before proceeding... "But if it turns out to be negative, I'll resign from the position as your secretary..." 'And from your life as well...'
His lips formed into a thin line. "No... you can't resign... If that baby isn't mine, then you'll just have to stop all this nonsense... Are we clear Ms. Gutierez?" He said before finally departing his office.
Mia was left standing beside his office table with a sad smile on her lips.
'So he doesn't want me leave as his secretary. At least I still have some importance for him.'
THE DAYS flew by so fast that she didn't notice that she already has her baby bump. She proudly smiled in front of the mirror. Grinning as she caressed the life starting to for inside of her.
Although, she is a bit confused. She thought that she would have her baby bump around twelve weeks...but she's only ten weeks along.
'Hmmm... maybe some bellies start early...like mine.'
She hummed happily as she does her morning routine before going to work. After locking her apartment, she departed for another day of work.
Her office days are as hectic as ever... Nothing much has changed. Mateo is still as cold as ever, and bossy.
Nonetheless, she still continues to annoy him with the baby stuffs she leaves on his office desk. In which he would throw away as always...and that she would also pick up as always...
Before, her giving leaving the gifts was one way to put some sense into him that the baby is his... But now, she enjoys annoying him...She craves for it.
Even though he would always throw them away... it wouldn't bother her that much anymore. She can just pick them up at the end of the day and keep it.
It was really fun for her to see his annoyed face whenever he sees the baby thingy.
It was already part of her daily routine.
MIA is currently busy organizing Mateo's schedule when Mateo called her through the line.
'Sir?'
'Come inside my office...' He commanded through the line.
'Yes sir...' She answered. She puts down the telephone. She took her clip board with her and entered the office of her boss.
Mateo is in front of his laptop looking as handsome as ever. Never failing to make her heart beat fast. Although all he does is break it.
She mentally sighed.
When she was beside him, he closed his laptop.
"Ms. Gutierez...." He calls her... He never called her Mia again since the day she told him about the baby.
It bothered her for a while, but during the past month, she got used to it...again.
"Book me a flight to Spain. I have some business meetings and seminars to attend to. I'm also going to visit my parents..."
Mr. and Mrs. Dela Cruz? It's been a long time since she last saw them. Mateo's parents have been really nice to her. In fact, it was Mrs. Dela Cruz's idea to hire her.
"Alright sir...When are you leaving?" She asked as she took a note of it in her clipboard.
He took some papers from his table and started reading them. "This weekend... I'll be gone for four months. So you have to take of things here at DC while I'm gone."
'He'll be gone for months?' She bit her inner cheek. 'That's long... But, it's as if I have any choices.'
"Of course, sir...I'll do my best."
"That would be all...You may go now." He said as he signs some of the documents, completely ignoring her.
But then again, she's already used to all of his coldness. She's been bracing herself for all the painful impact it makes...so she wouldn't be stressed...so she won't risk her baby from too much stress.
SHE BOWED her head a little before returning to her table where she didn't notice Mateo's eyes following her as she leaves.
MIA SIGHED for the nth time as she rides the bus home. 'Four months... he'll be gone for four months...' Sadness took over her as she thought of not seeing him for that long. The thought of him leaving her already pains her.
It was pretty obvious that he's going away to evade her schemes of persuading him. He wanted to get away from her.
'Maybe he couldn't take it anymore.' She thought.
He's getting tired of being annoyed every day.
She smiled bitterly. Annoying him every day with the gifts is amusing her... However, deep inside, it hurts her.
She's losing hope every day that he would actually believe her one day. She could feel herself giving up every moment he throws those things away...
If this goes on, she might just actually accept the fact that Mateo will never accept them... or even just her baby.
'Hmmm...No!...' She shook her head vigorously. 'I should not think anything that would stress my baby out... I'm sure he'll come around one day.' She said to herself, staying positive.
'I hope he does...' She sighed again...'Or else, I might really just...give up...' And she doesn't want that.